FUT Esports Eliminates Reigning World Champions NRG in Masters London’s Best Match Yet — The Reverse Sweep Heard Around the World

The Champions Curse strikes again. 14FUT Esports eliminated the reigning world champions NRG to punch their ticket to Playoffs at Valorant Masters London 2026 in what’s being called the tournament’s most electrifying series so far.2 FUT Esports completed one of the biggest comeback wins of the Swiss Stage by defeating NRG 2-1 after dropping the opening map. 14 NRG came to London as Champions 2025 winners and the most decorated team in the field. They leave in 9-10th place, eliminated by a Turkish rebuild that nobody had in their finals bracket.

This wasn’t just an upset. This was a statement. 🇹🇷🔥

The Full Series Breakdown — Map by Map

2 Following an 11:13 loss on Lotus, the Turkish team survived a tense overtime battle on Haven and then finished the job on Fracture with another close victory.

Every single map was decided by 2 rounds or less. This series was a knife fight from start to finish.

Map 1: Lotus — NRG Draws First Blood (13-11)

2 The series opened on Lotus and immediately turned into a close battle. Both teams traded rounds throughout the map and neither side managed to build a meaningful advantage. NRG looked slightly cleaner in the key moments and handled late-round situations better. 14 NRG opened on their favorite map of the tournament, and it showed. Their double controller composition went up against FUT’s Neon and Raze pairing, and the tactical grind that followed was everything the map’s tight rotations promise. 14 FUT found a strong win streak through the middle of the first half, but the round count levelled out at 6-6 going into the sideswap. After switching sides, both teams traded blows deep into the map before NRG reached match point first at 12-11. A three-kill play from skuba closed the door on overtime and NRG took the map 13-11. 14 Keiko was their most consistent performer, finishing with 21 kills and a +9 differential.

Map 2: Haven — FUT’s Overtime Masterclass (14-12)

This is where the series went from good to legendary.14 FUT’s map pick was the most dramatic of the series. They started on attack with a Jett and Waylay double-dive composition against NRG’s Phoenix and Jett, ending the first half with a slight 7-5 lead that felt fragile rather than commanding. 14 NRG responded through mada and skuba, keeping the map tight and once again getting to match point first. FUT, with their backs against the wall, made a broken buy work to force overtime, and Yetujey delivered when it mattered most: a three-kill play followed by a two-kill play in the final two rounds of overtime sent the map to FUT 14-12 and levelled the series.

Map 3: Fracture — The Champions Fall (13-11)

14 The decider started in FUT’s favour with a 4-0 opening run that threatened to end the series quickly. NRG recovered to trail only 7-5 at the half, and after the sideswap FUT’s Jett and Raze attack won five straight rounds to reach series point. 14 NRG refused to fold. They clawed their way back to 12-11 and pushed FUT to the edge before xeus stepped up with a three-kill play to close the map 13-11 and eliminate the world champions.

The final scoreline — 13-11 on the decider — was an excruciating ending for NRG and a euphoric one for Turkey’s finest. The crowd at the Copper Box Arena erupted.

The MVP — xeus Was Inevitable

14 Across the full series, xeus was the MVP: 235 ACS across all three maps, 66 kills, a +13 differential, and 11 first kills. S0pp matched him on first kills with 11 of his own, the two of them combining to control first contact throughout a series where FUT consistently had to fight from behind to win.

xeus didn’t just play well — he played like a man possessed. His three-kill play to close out Fracture and eliminate the world champions will go down as one of the defining moments of Masters London 2026.

FUT’s Journey Through the Swiss Stage

2 The Turkish squad recovered after losing the opening map and closed out two close victories to advance with a 2-1 record, while NRG were eliminated from the event.

FUT’s path through the Swiss Stage was a masterclass in resilience. They swept FULL SENSE in Round 1, fell to Team Vitality in Round 2, and then produced the tournament’s greatest upset against NRG with their backs against the wall.

NRG’s Fall — How the Champions Crumbled

11 NRG entered the match as clear favorites. The 74% implied probability for NRG reflected market consensus aggregating roster strength, recent results, map pool depth, and head-to-head history.

But London had other plans. Here’s NRG’s complete Swiss Stage run:

2 The result sends FUT into the VALORANT Masters London 2026 playoffs with a 2-1 record, while NRG exit the tournament after consecutive defeats against Leviatán and FUT.

NRG won their opening round with a dominant 2-0, but then lost back-to-back series against Leviatán and FUT — both in three maps. The Champions Curse claims another victim.

The Champions Curse — A Continuing Pattern

The “Champions Curse” in Valorant refers to the trend of reigning world champions failing to replicate their success at the following international event:

The curse remains undefeated. No Champions winner has ever performed well at the next major international event.\

The Playoff Bracket Is Set

14 Vitality, Leviatán, FUT Esports, and Xi Lai Gaming join the four direct seeds: G2 Esports, Team Heretics, Paper Rex, and EDward Gaming. 14 As the first seeds, the four direct qualifiers held the privilege of choosing their opponents from the Swiss Stage pool.

14 EDG face FUT, pitting the two teams that arrived with the most to prove regionally against each other in a match that could go either way.

FUT now faces EDward Gaming in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals — and after sending home the reigning world champions, nothing seems impossible for this Turkish squad.

Why This Match Matters for Valorant Esports

14 Day five of the VALORANT Masters London Swiss Stage delivered the tournament’s biggest upsets.

This series wasn’t just dramatic — it was historically significant:

For a complete overview of the Valorant Champions Tour and its competitive history, visit the official Valorant Champions Tour Wikipedia page.

What’s Next for FUT?

FUT now enters the Playoffs with massive momentum. Their next match is against EDward Gaming on June 13 — and China’s 1st seed should be nervous after watching what FUT did to NRG.

If FUT can maintain this level, they could realistically make a deep Playoffs run. The combination of xeus’s entry fragging, Yetujey’s clutch playmaking, and the team’s evident mental resilience makes them a dangerous opponent for anyone left in the bracket.

As for NRG? They go home early, carrying the weight of the Champions Curse. London was supposed to be their coronation tour. Instead, it became their shortest international run in years.

The lesson? In Valorant, nobody is safe. Not even world champions. 👑💀

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